Nigel Farage at a Reform UK rally (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage claimed his “has all the momentum” as the party plans one of the UK’s biggest ever political rallies.
A mammoth event at Arena Birmingham is set to be attended by thousands.
It will be the launchpad for Reform’s local election campaigns, with the party hoping to make a breakthrough in votes for council seats and mayors on May 1.
, the party’s leader, said: “Reform has all the momentum in British politics and we are only just getting started.
“May 1 is our first real test and we are kicking off our campaign with something that’s never been done before. I can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been planning.
In an email to supporters he said: “To announce our campaign, we will be hosting the biggest ever launch rally in modern British political history.”
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Reform now claims to have 200,000 members.
And the party has received another boost when two councillors defected to Reform over the weekend. Councillor Joe Quinn and Councillor Cathy Hunt were both elected in 2021 as Conservative Councillors on Durham County Council but now are Reform members.
Mr Farage parked his tanks on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s lawn when he was joined by Reform MPs , Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe in Ms Badenoch’s seat of North West Essex for an event on Saturday.
Elections on May 1 may be challenging for the because voting takes place in a limited number of authorities, mainly county councils where are already the largest party. Many Labour-dominated authorities will not hold elections until 2026.
It means that if Reform does make gains then these will appear to come at the expense of the .
Elections also take place this year for four regional mayors representing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, West of England, Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.
But Reform has Labour in its sights, and the Labour leadership is drawing up plans to try to see off the threat.
Reform is targeting a number of north west seats held by Labour including Ashton-under-Lyne, where the MP is Deputy Prime Minister , and Stalybridge and Hyde, currently represented by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Many of May’s local elections could be postponed as a result of plans to overhaul the way local government in England works.
The Government wants to abolish two-tier council areas as it seeks to devolve more power from Westminster.
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Some 18 councils have written to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asking to postpone their 2025 elections to allow time to develop proposals on reorganisation, the House of Commons has been told.
Activists at a Reform rally were told people who voted remain in the referendum “shouldn’t be allowed to vote” in a light-hearted comment on Saturday.
John Elliott, a businessman who has lent his support to the party, shared a stage with Reform UK leader as he made the tongue-in-cheek claim.
After asking if anyone at the Reform UK rally in the north east of England had opposed and had now “seen the light”, Mr Elliott added: “I reckon anyone who voted remain shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
“Anybody who voted Labour in the last election… what’s their judgment like? Have they got good judgment?”
Mr Farage laughed and did not appear to take the suggestion seriously.
He praised Mr Elliott, the founder of washing machine and dehumidifier manufacturer Ebac, and said the UK “needs people like John, people that take risks, people that set up factories, people that make profits or make losses, people that employ loads of people”.